Ear-butting machine



F. H. KNAPP.

EAR BUTTI'NG MACHINE.

APPLlCATION FILED MAY 23. l9l8.

Patented Jan. 25, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

F. Hl KNAPP.

EAR BumNG MACHINE.

APPLICATION F|LED MAY 23, |913. 1,366,568. Patented Jan. 25, 1921.

F. H. KNAPP.

EAR BUTTING MACHINE. APPLICATION HLED'MAY 23. 191s. 1,366,568.

Patented Jan. 25,1921

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

F. H. KNAPP.

EAR BUTTING MACHINE.

APPLlcATxoN -FlLED MAY 23. 191s.

Patented Jan. 25,1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

FREDERICK HENRY Elef?, OF BALTMEJE, MARYLAND.

EAR-BUTTNG: ACHINE.

incense.

Application led IE/Iay'ZS, 1918.

To all whom t may cof/mera: Y

Be it known that l, Fnnonnroir lll. liNArr, acitizen of the United States, residing at laltimore, in the county ci laltimore City and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements'in Ear- Butting Machines, of which the following is a specilieation, reference being;l had therein to the accompanying drawing.

T his invention relates to machines 'for butting ears of corn and the` like, and has 'for one of its primary objects the provision ci' a machine of this character et simpliied and comparatively inexpensive construetion, while at t ie same time embodying many improvements over machines as heretofore constructed, and now extensively in use.

The invention has to deal .more particularly with buttingl machines of that general type wherein the ears are moved into contact with a cutter., such as a rotatable saw. Various means have heretoiore been designed and constructed for the purpose ot supporting the ears relative to the cutter or saw, but suoli prior constructions with which am familiar are usually exceedingly coinplicated, and at the same time many ditliculties have been encountered in eilectively supporting the ears in proper position whereby to obtain uniformlyv and evenly but led ears, with'the loss of considerable of the corn, and it is one olf the primary objects of the present invention to provide novel and improved supporting` and carrying means for the corn whereby the ears will be properly and acclnately fed and positioned in a uniform` manner, and largely doing away with any perceptible loss of the corn in the buttingl ope-ration. y *Une oi the .ifeaturesoi the inventionlresides in the provision ot novel and irnproved means for operatively moving` the butt end ot the ears across the cutting;` edge ci the butter and efficient ineans for supporting' the body portion o' the ears both prior to and during the butting,- operation.

lt is contemplated by the invention to provide a common `carrier or reed mechanism for a plurality o' series oiE ears, and a common support operatively associated with said series o ears whereby to maintain all of said ears in the proper position. both during' the feeding and butting operations.

Again the invention includes means Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 25, 1921.

serial no. acceso.

rality ot' series of cutters, one for each series.

ln carryin-g` out the invention it is proposed to provide means for supporting the vears in upright position and to inieve the ears in a rotatable path into operative position to a horizontally disposed cutter meinber, novel and improved supporting means being` provided for iirinly supporting the ears during` said feeding and cutting operation.

More particularly the invention includes a guideway for the reception of ears when in upright position, conveyer mechanism ttor moving1 the ears along the guidewaT and means operatively associated with the conveyor mechanism whereby to support the body oi the ear tilting; or cantine'.

The invention further embraces means whereby various parts of the mechanism may be readily adjustable thereby to ada-pt the same to ears ci dille/rent sizes, and whereby to regulate the extent of the` lnitting` opera ion on the respective ears.

Generally the invention, includes an ear butting machine of novel and improved construction, of increased capacity, strong and durable as well as highly eiiicient in operation, and because of the simpliied and automatic character thereol2 largely doing away with skilled or experienced help.

Ma y other improvements and novel detai s in the construction ane arrangement or the various parts of the invention will be appreciated from the description to follow, which, "ror clear understandineI oi" the invention is to considered in connection with the accompanyinp` drawings, which torni. a part hereof, and wherein is disclosed for the urpose oi?` illustration, convenient and satis-. story embodiments oif the invention.

ln the drawings: i

Figure l is a top plan or the machine;

2 is an elevation oi the machine,

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section, parte being illustrated in dotted lines.

l is a vertical detail, parte oi machine being broken away.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section.

Figs. 6 and 7 detail views ot parts the several views 1 is a horizontally disposed supporting table or main trame part, the

same being conveniently mounted upony suitable legs or standards 2 ot any. desirable construction, preferably through the .medium of a vertically disposed stationary Vshaft 3 projecting through a central boss. 4L

of the table 1 and iixedly secured to the latter. i Y

Sleeved upon the shaft 3 for rotatable movement about the same as an axis is a disk 5 the same having peripheral teeth whereby to constitute a main gear wheel. rlhe gear wheel is adapted to register with pinions G conveniently arranged opposite to one another, though it is to be borne in mind in this connection that any number of pinions may` be provided, all depending upon the number of saws or cutters and the number of series ot' ears of corn it is desirable to butt at one and the same time, and by the same machine. The pinions 6 are conveniently mounted on shatts 7 projecting through sleeves 8, Vadjustably mounted as by threading through an aperture in the table 1 The shafts 7 are rotatable in the sleeves 8, a pin 8 on the sleeves engaging an annu-- lar recess in the shafts. The shafts Z haveA connected thereto for rotatable movement therewith a suitable cutter which conveniently takes the term ot a saw 9. rllhe table 1 is provided with segmental cut out or slotted parts 10, and the rotatable saws 9 positioned below. the table uponv the tubular shaft 7 are adapted to underlie said cut out parts 10 whereby to engage the butts of ears which project below said out out parts 10 of thetable in a manner to be presently described. ln order to regulate 'the length of the severed butts, the shaft 7 with the connected saw and pinion are adapted to be vertically adjusted through the medium of the threaded connection for theV sleeves 8 just described. ln this connection the -pinion'G is or a width sucient to accommodate for all necessary vertical adjustment, and to at i all times maintain the propergear connection with the gear wheel 5. rlFhe main gear wheel 5 isadapted to be driven from any suitable source and by any convenient'power not necessary to describe.

As previously noted it is desirable te vsimultaneonsly butt a plurality or series of ears, and yin the construction illustrated mechanism is provided for operating upon two series, one adjacent oppositesides of the table 1 at said cut-out parts 10 thereof. These parts at opposite sides ot the table being duplicates, it is but necessary to describe but one set of mechanism, together by a bolt 17.

1,3ee,5 es

with the operation thereof, it being understood of course that both sets are simultaneously operated from the single source.

A suitable guideway and lateral support for the ears, conveniently takes the form of an inner segmental plate 13 and an outer segmental plate 14, the plates corresponding tothe general curvature of the slots orcuti out parts 1010i the table, and at the lower end being adapted to project through said cut-out parts. The plates 13 and 14 are separated laterally from one another whereby toreceive ears of corn in upright position therebetweemand in order to facilitate the positioning of the corn'the plates 13 and 14 gradually flare outwardlyl toward the upper edges thereof, whereas the same have an inward Hare at the lower edges thereof whereby to engage and limit the downward movement and position of the ears. The inner plate 13 is formed in two sections, the lower i section 13d being separated from the upper sect-ion 13b by a space to provide for the projection of a suitable :t'eed member for the ears, about to be described. The upper section of the inner plate 18 is supported from and secured to the liXed shaft 3 as by means o' arms lhaving a centralhub 16 sleeved upon the shaft and maintained in place as inner plate conveniently has offset lugs or ears 18 adapted to be secured as by bolts 19 to the table 1.

ln order to accommodate for' different sized ears the outer plate 1d is conveniently adjust-ably mounted by lugs or ears 2O secured to the plate 14; in any desirable manner and having slotted-ways to be engaged by locking bolts 21. By loosening the bolts 21 thelugs 20together with the plate 14 may be moved laterally whereby to accommodate the guideway provided by the plates 13 and 14 to Years of-ditterent sizes.

rEhe gear wheel V5 :is adapted to rotate in the direction of the arrow, and it will be observed that the cutter or saw 9is positioned at a point spaced `from the forward end of the slot 10 of the table in the directionl of 'movement whereby a series ot ears of corn may be positioned in the guideway provided. by the plates13m-1li in advance'A of said cutter. Y

assuming that a series of ears have been.

Y' pusher 22 conveniently having a supporting lug 23 apertured whereby to be sleeved' over the terminal 2l4 of an elongated arm 25 fixed in any desired manner as by bolts 26 to the Thelower section 13al of theA llO Cir

upper surface of the zgear wheel 5 for continuously rotatable movement with the lat ter. It is obvious that as the plates lS-ll of the guideway are laterally adjusted, it may be desirable to likewise adjust the pusher member 22 whereby to accurately engage the ears at a predetermined position, and to this end the supporting lug 23 of the pusher 22 may be adjusted slightly lengthwise of the terminal 2liof the arm 25, and when properly positioned Lis held in place asby a retaining` bolt 27.

lt has been ascertained that as the butts of the ears are brought into contact with the cutter member, theears are apt to tilt or cant, thus interfering largely with proper batting, and oftentimes resulting in considerable waste of the corn, and therefore it is desirable to provide means in operative association with the pusher mechanism whereby to engage the body portion of the ears and hold the same under constant spring pressure against the action of the pusher member whereby to retain the ears in upright position both during the feedfuig` and the cutting operations. To this end suitable supporting arms Q8 are provided, the supporting arms having a hub 29 loosely sleeved for rotatable movement upon the shaft 3 conveniently at a: point below the main `table or rest l. lThe arms Q8 project to a point underlying,l the slotted cut-out parts 10 of the table l and are apertured for the reception of a vertically disposed shaft 30 adapted to support the tubular member 31 or an abutment member or stop 32, conveniently segmental in cross section whereby to correspond to the general curvature of the body portion of the ears, the abutment 82 being conveniently of a height to overlie a considerable portion of the ears. The normal position of the abutment member is in the direct path of the ears illustrated for instance in Fie'. l. llovel supportingr means is provided for the abutment member 32 whereby the same may be auto matically moved into a position at substair tially right angles vto that illustrated in lfigr. l, whereby to free the ears for discharge after the ear batting,- operation. llVith this in view the sleeve 3l is preferably iii/red to the shaft S0, and the shaft 30 is of a length to project a considerable distance below the supporting arms 2S whereby to accommodate a spiral spring 33 fixed at one end to the lower terminal of the shaft 30 'and at its upper end to the arm 91S, the spring being)Y of such construction that it normally exerts downward pressure on the shaft, which downward pressure is limited by engagement of the sleeve 3l with the upper surface of the supporting arm 28, and said spring` is also of a character to exert rotatable movement to the shaft whereby to move the abutment member from the position out of the path of the ears into a position to contact with the ears as illustrated for instance in Fig. l. The sleeve 3l is conveniently provided at its lower end with a proj ecting lug or stop pin 8st adapted in one position of the sleeve to engage in an aperture or hole 35 in the upper surface of the arm 28 whereby to maintain the abutment member 32 in the position illustrated in Fig. l. After tle ear butts have been severed, it is desirable to elevate the sleeve 3l whereby to move the locking pin 34: outV of holding engagement, and permit the abutment member to move outwardly under the pressure of the moving ars, whereby the butted ears may be relieved from holding pressure, and readily discharged. Therefore a suitably supported camway is provided, the same comprising oppositely inclined surfaces 36 and 37 and being1 arranged below and directly in the path of, whereby to be engaged by the lower end of the shaft 30. fis the shaft engages the inclined surfaces 36 the same is ally elevated whereby to move the l out of lockingl engagement with the arin 28, when the abutment member 32 is free to move outwardly under the pressure of the ears. So soon as said pressure is relieved the abutment arm 32 under the action of the spring will again be moved into the position illustrated in Fig. l, and in order to accurately guide the pin 3d into the aperture 35, the arm E28 is conveniently `provided with a cam groove 38 connecting with said aperture 35. lt will therefore be anoreciated that so soon as the shaft 30 leaves the upper portion of the cam 36, and acting under the spring` the said shaft is lowered and the abutment member can return to its normal position as j ust stated, the lockinglug` entheV aperture 35 forming a fixed abutment on the arm 2S for the ears. As distinguished from the pusher arm 22 which rotates continuously, the abutment members 32 are adapted to have a to and fro rotatable movement over a given path, anda given dis'- tance. i rhat is to so soon as the series of ears have been batted, it is desirable to again position the abutment member through the medium of its arm, whereby to constitute an abutment for a new supply or a new series of ears to be positioned in the guideway. ilherefore the supporting arms 28 for the abutment members 32 are adapted to be held in one direction as by a spring 39 secured at `one end to the frame worlr of the machine as at l0 and at its opposite end to said arm as at di. Yieldable buffers e?, adapted to limit the return movement of the arms 2O and maintain the abutment'inembers in position to engage the foremost of a series supporting arms 28 and the abutment mem- Vbers are automatically returned into Contact with the yieldable abutments 42, whereas the pusher arms-continue their movement whereby to successively engage another series of properly positioned ears.

In order to assist in maintainingthe ears in upright position pending the engagement of the pusher members 22 with the rear ear of the series, suitable projecting pins 43 may project inwardly from the sides 13-14- of the guideway.v These projecting supporting pins 43 also serve the additional highly important function of slightly severing or loosening the husks, whereby to facilitate the husking operation to be carried on after the butting operation.

In view of the fact that the present machine is largely automatic afterthe ears are once assembled, and for this reason the operation may-be readily performed bycunskilled persons, it is desirable to provide effective guard mechanism whereby to protect the hands of the operator, and prevent the possibility of the operator bringing his hand into contact with the saw. `With this in view, a suitable guard plate is provided, the same being indicatedat 44 and overlying the slotted opening l() at a position within the saw 9. This guard plate 44 is preferably supported inl any desired manner as by the arms 28, projecting in a general direction forwardly of the movement of said arms. In this connection it will be observed that'the guard will be moved therewith, and at all times Vwhen the saw is not covered by the overlying ears, the same will be covered by the guard. I

lFrom the above description, the construction and operation is believed to be clear, an operator may be placed adjacent each of the slotted ways l0 of the table with a suitable supply of earsfto bebutted, and the power means is placed in operation whereby to continuously rotate the gear wheel 5. rIhe abutment arms 32 being in the position with the foremost ear in contact with'the abutment 32, the ears 84 serve to retain the ears in upright position and hold the pusher mem- Ybers 22 in butting contact with the rearmost ears of the series.` Thereupon the continued rotation of the pusher members will impart rotatable movement to the spring pressed abutment arms 28, the abutment members 32 being fixed duringthis operation and serving to retain the ears in upright position against any possible canting or tilting movement. VWhile thus secured in position theears are brought into Contact with the saws and the butts severed from'the ears. `Further movement of the pusher arms brings thel supporting shafts of the abutl ment members 32 into contact with the releasing camway whereby the ears may be released of holding tension, and upon the discharge of the ears and the pressure of the arms 28 being relieved, the arms 28 are through the medium of the spring 39 returned back into position. In the meantime ,the abutment members 32 proper have been returned into position across the path of the corn to be engaged by the foremost ear of a succeeding series. Y

In the preferred construction illustrated but one pusher member 22 is utilized to opcrate in succession upon the plurality of series ofears. This is made possible by the reason of the fact that the supporting arm 35 for the pusher member 22 is continuously rotatable, and when the pusher member is in engagement with one series of ears, a succeeding series of ears may be placed in positionto be engaged by the same pusher Vmember as it continues its rotatable movement.

What I claim is:

l. In an ear butting machine, the combination of a cutter, means forming a guidewayV for the ears, means for moving the ears along` the guideway whereby the butts thereof are brought into contact with the cutter, and releasable meansV for the ears cooperating with said ear moving means, to prevent tilting of the ears during the cutting operation.

2. In an ear butting machine, the combination of a guideway for ears, acutter, and' anda common support for maintaining all` of said ears against tilting movement.

4. In an ear butting machine, the` combination of an elongated guideway for supporting ears vwhen in upright position, with butts of the ears projecting below the guideway, a cutter arranged in the path of the ear butts, means for moving anfear along the guideway and past the cutter, and means opposed to said movingv means to maintain the ear in upright position.

5. In an ear butting machine, the combination of a guideway comprising opposed sides with an open base whereby to permit butts of ears toproject below the same, a'

pusher member arranged to engage one side of the ear above the buttto move the ear Y' along the guideway, and means to engage an opposite surface of the ear to maintain the same in upright position during its movement along'the guideway.

6. In an ear butting machine, the combination of a guideway'comprising opposed sides with an open base whereby to permit butts of ears to project below the same, a pusher member arranged to engage one side messes of an ear above the butt to move the ear along the guidevvay, and spring pressed means to hold the ear in upright position.

7. ln an ear butting' machine, the combination ol' a guideivay comprising opposed sides with an open base whereby to permit butts of ears to project below the same, a pusher member arranged to engage one side of the ear above the butt to move the ear along the guideway, yieldable means to maintain the ear in upright position, said means being movable With the ear moving means for a predetermined distance, and thereafter being releasable.

8. In an ear butting machine, the combination of a guideway comprising opposed sides with an open base whereby to permit butts ot' ears to project below the same, a pusher member arranged to engage one side of the ear above the butt to move the ear along the guideway, means cooperating with the ear moving means to maintain the ear in upright position during the butting opera tion, said last mentioned means being automatically releasable to release the ear alter the butting operation.

9. ln an ear butting machine, the combination of a guideivay comprising opposed sides, one of said sides having a slotted Way, means movable in said slotted Way to engage ears when in an upright position to move the same along the guideivay, a cutter in the path of the moving ears to butt the ears.

10. ln an ear butting machine, the combination of a guideivay comprising opposed sides, one ot said sides having a slotted Way, means movable in said slotted Way to engage ears when in an upright position to move the same along the guideway, a cutter in the path of the moving ears to butt the ears, and releasable means for maintaining the ears in upright position.

1l. ln an ear butting machine, the combination oi a guidevvay comprising opposed sides, one of said sides havin a slotted Way, means movable in said slotted Way to engage ears ivhen in an upright position to move theA same along the guideway, a cutter in the path oi the moving ears to butt the ears, releasable means 'for maintaining the ears in upright position, and means whereby the sides et the guideway may be relatively adjusted to accommodate the ears of different sizes.

12. In an ear butting machine, the combination of a guidevvay comprising opposed flared sides separated from one another to provide at the bottom an ear butting space, a cutter in the path o' said butts, one of said sides having a longitudinal extending slotted Way, mea ns movable in said slotted Way having an ear engaging part to move the ears along the Way and in contact With the cutter, said last mentioned means being adjustably supported.

13. In an ear butting machine,the combination of a guideivay comprising opposed flared sides separated from one another to provide at the bottom an ear butting space, a cutter in the path of said butts, one of said sides having a longitudinally extending slotted Way, means movable in said slotted Way having an ear engaging part to move the ears along the ivay and in contact With the cutter, said last mentioned means being adjustably supported, and said sides being relatively laterally adjustable.

lll. ln an ear butting machine, the coml bination of a curved guideway comprising opposed sides constructed to form a space for the projection of the butt end of ears,'

a cutter for positioning and engaging said projecting butts, and rotatably mounted means movable along the guidevvay to engage an ear and move the same along the guideivay into contact with the cutter.

l5. ln an ear butting machine, the combi-- nation of a slotted guideWay arranged concentric With a central axis, said guideway being adapted to support ears with butts projecting through the guideway, a cutter arranged in the path of said projecting butts of the ears as moved along the guidetvay and means rotatable about said axis to engage a body part oiE an ear in said guideway and move the same into contact with the cutter.

.16. ln an ear butting machine, the combination of a guideway curved about a center, said guideway being adapted to support ears in upright position, a cutter to engage the butts oit' ears as moved along` the guideivay, and suitably supported rotatable means projecting into the guideway to engage the body portion of an ear and simultaneously move a plurality of ears along the guideway successively `into contact with the cutter.

17. In an ear butting machine, the combination of a guideivay curved about a center, said guideivay being adapted to support ears in upright position, a cutter to engage the butts of ears as moved along the guideway, suitably supported rotatable means proj ejcting into the guidevvay to engage the body portion of an ear and simultaneously move a plurality of ears along the guidevvay successively into contact with the cutter, and means cooperating with the last mentioned means to hold the ears in upright position.

18. In an ear butting machine, the combination of a guideway curved above a center, said guideivay being adapted to support ears in upright position, a cutter to engage the butts of ears as moved along the guideivay, suitably supported rotatable means projecting into the guideivay to engage the body portion ot an ear and simultaneously move a plurality of ears along the guideivay successively into contact with the cutter, and means to engage a foremost earl in llO CiD

i i r said guideway toV maintain a series of ears in upright position during the butting 0peration.

19. in an butting machine, the combination oit a guideway curved about a center, saidV guidewav being adapted to support ears in upright position, a cutter to engage the butts of ears as moved along the guideway, suitably supported rotatableA means projecting into the guideway to engage the body portion of an ear and simultaneously move a plurality of ears along the guideway successively into contact with the cutter, and means to a foremost ear in said guideway to maintain a series of ears in upright position during the butting operation, said means being automatically releasable to discharge the ears after the butting operation.

20. ln an ear batting machine, the combination of opposed sides forming a guideway with a bottom space whereby to support ears in upright position with the butts projecting through Vsaid space, a cutter be'- low the guideway to engage said projecting butts, a movable member 'having an engaging part projecting in the guideway to contact with a rearmost ear and move a plurality of ears along` the Vguideway, and a yieldab'le abutment to engage a foremost ear and support the series or" ears in upright position during movement.

21. ln an ear batting machine, the combination of opposed sides forming a guideway with a bottom space whereby to support ears in upright position with. the butts projecting' through said space, a cutter below the guideway. to engage said projecting butts, a'movable member having an engaging part projecting in the guideway to contact with a rearmost ear and move plurality ot ears along the guideway, and a yieldable abutment to engage a foremost ear and support the series of ears in upright position during movement, said abutment being automatically releasable to permit discharge of the ears upon completion of the butt-ing operation.

22. In an ear butting machine, the combination of a guideway curved along' a circular path, said guideway being adapted to support a plurality of ears in upright position, rotatable means having a part projecting into the guideway for moving the ears along the same, a cutter adapted to en.- gage the butts of the ears in the movement of the same, and means positioned within the 'guideway to constitute an abutment for a series of ears, said means being movable with the ears and maintaining the same in upright position during the butting ,operay tion, and means for automatically releasing said means to permit discharge of the ears onv completion of the butting operation.

'23. in an earv batting machine, the com- Leccese bination of a segmental guideway for supporting ears in upright position, a rotatable pusher movable along the guideway to engage a series oit' ears and nio-ve the Same along the guideway, and an abutment for said series of ears for maintaining the same in` upright position, said abutment being mounted for swinging movement into and out ot the path of the ears.

24. ln an ear butting machine, the combination of a segmental guideway for sunporting ears in upright position, a rotatable pusher movable along the guideway to engage a series of ears and move the same along' the guideway, an abutment for said series or". ears for maintaining the same in upright position, said abutment being mounted tor swinging movement into and out-ot the path of the ears, and means for supporting said abutment to permit the same to move a predetermined distance with said pusher.

25. ln an ear butting machine, the combination ot' an elongated guideway, comprisin g sides forming an open bottom, said guideway adapted to support ears in upri glitposition with butts projecting through the bottom, a cutter to engage said butts in the movement ot the ears along the guideway, anY ear abutment in the guideway, spring means fornormally exerting pressure on the abutment in one direction, and means movable along' the guideway to engage the ears not acting in position tothe spring pressure whereby to move the ears and abutment along the guideway.

26. ln an ear butting machine, the combination of an elongated guideway, comprising sides forming an open bottom, said guideway adapted to support ears in upright position with butts projecting through the bottom, a cutter to engage said butts in the movement of the ears along the guide` way, an ear abutment in the guideway, spring meansY lor normally exerting pressure on the abutment in one direction, means movable along the guideway to engage the ears not acting in position to the spring pressure whereby to move the ears and abutment along the guideway, and means for limiting the movement of the ear Vabutment while permitting continued movement of the ear feeding means.

27. ln an ear butting macl ne, the com bination oil a horizontally disposed cutter, means for supporting ears in upright posh tion and moving the same whereby the butts will engage the cutter, meansto engage a Jforemost ear and hold the series in upright position during the `butting operation, and means for moving the last mentioned means whereby to release the ears after the 1mitting operation.

28.- in an ear butting machine, the combination et' a vertically disljiose'l'supportingshaft, a curved guideway concentric with the shaft for supporting ears in upright position, a cutter in the path of the ears as moved along the guideway to butt the cars, and means mounted for rotation Vupon said shaft as an axis and adapted to move along the guideivay in engagement with a series ot ears to bring the same into Contact with the cutter.

29. ln an ear butting machine, the coinbination of a vertically disposed supporting shaft, a curved guideivay concentric with the shaft for supporting ears. in upright position, a cutter in thepath of the ears as moved along the guideway to butt the ears, and means mounted for rotation upon said shaft as an axis and. adapted to move along the guideway in engagement with a series of ears to bring the same into contact with the cutter, the guideivay being laterally adjustable, and said oar having means being adjustable relative to the guideivay.

30. In an ear butting machine, the combination of a vertical shaft, a curved guide Way for supporting ears in upright position, said guideway being concentric with the shaft, vmeans supported on the shaft and movable along the guidewa 1 to impart movement to the ears therein, and an abutment member for supporting the ears in upright position mounted upon said shaft, and a cutter in the path of the ears.

31. In an ear butting machine, the combination of a vertical shaft, a curved guide- Way for supporting ears in upright position, said guideivay being concentric with the sha-ft, means supported on the shaft and movable along the guide-nay to impart movement to the ears therein, an abutment member for supporting the ears in upright position mounted upon said shaft, a cutter in the path ot the ears, the ear feed means being continuously rotatable in one direc-tion and the butting member mounted for back and forth rotatable movement.

32. In an ear butting machine, the combination of a vertical shaft, a, curved guide- Way concentric with the shaft for supporting the ears in upright position, a butting device adjacent the guidewav to engage the butts of ears 'fed along the guideway, an elongated arm rotatable upon said shatt having pusher means at the end thereof to engage ears Within the guidcway.

33. In an ear lmtting machine, the combination of a vertical shaft, a curved guide Way concentric with the shaft for supporting the ears in upright position, a butting device adjacent the guideway to engage thc butts otl ears :ted along the guideivajf',r an elongated arm rotatable upon said shait having pusher means at the end thereof to engage ears Within the guideway, and a releasable abutment to maintain the ears in upright position, said abutment being mounted upon a swinging arm adapted to move a predetermined distance With the ear pusher means.

34. In an ear butting machine, the combination of a. plurality of spaced cutter members, guiding means adjacent the respective cutter members whereby to support in upright position and a rotatable ear pusherl means movable in succession to said guidevvays whereby to move ears. along the respective guideways in succession into operative position with the adjacent cutter.

35. :in an ear butting machine, thecombination of a plurality of spaced cutter' members, guiding means adjacent the respective cutter members whereby to support ears in upright position, and a rotatable ear pusher means movable in succession to said guideivays whereby to move ears along the respective guideivays in succession into operative position with the adjacent cutter, and means cooperating with said pusher means to maintain the ears in upright position during the cutting operation.

36. ln an ear butting machine, the com-V bination of guidingineans comprising segmental sections arranged concentric with a common axis, a plurality of cutters adjacent said guiding means, means rotatable about said common axis to engage a plurality of series of ears in Contact with one another in succession and move thesame into contact with the cutters, and means common to a series ot ears to prevent tilting ot the ears during the cutting operation.

3T. ln an ear butting machine, the combination ot guiding means comprising mental sections arranged concentric with a common axis, a plurality of cutters adjacent said guiding means, means rotatable about said common axis to engage a plurality of series ot ears in succession and move the same into contact with the cutters, and a releasable abutment adjacent eacu cutter to engage a 'foremost ear oi each series and maintain the series ot ears in upright posi tion relative to the guiding means. 1

3S. in an ear butting machine, the combination ot a segmental guide having an i' open bottom, a cutter underlying said guide, means movable along the guide vfor feeding ears in an upright position along the guide whereby the butts of the ears Will engage the cutter, an ear abutment member spaced from the ear feed, means to engage a foremost ear and cooperating with the feeding means to maintain the ears in upright position, said abutment being mounted tor movement 'for a limited distance with the ear Jfeed means, and means whereby the abutment Will be moved out ot the path of the ears automatically,

39. In an ear but-ting machine, the combination of a guidevvay ,having husk penel llO trating parts, means for moving the ears along the guideway, and cooperating means for maintaining the ears in upright position as moved along the guideway, and ear butting means in the path of the ears as moved along the guideway.

40. In an ear buttingY machine, the combination of a guideway having an open base, said guideway being adapted to receive ears in upright position with butts projecting through the opening in the guideway, a cutter underlying said opening to engage said projecting butts in the movement of ears along they guideway, a movable arm having an ear pusher to engage an` ear and move the same along the guideway, a movable arm havingv an ear abutment to engage the foremost of said series of ears to maintain the ears in an upright position, means whereby said ear abutment arm may move with the pusher arm a predetermined distance, and' means for maintaining the abutment proper in rigid position on said arm.

41. In an ear butting machine, the combination of a guideway having an open base, said guideway'being adapted to receive ears in upright position with butts projecting through the opening 'in the guideway, a cutter underlying said opening to engage said projecting butts 4in the movement of ears along the guideway, a movable arm having an ear pusher to engage an ear and move the same along the guideway, a movable arm having an ear abutment to engage the foremost of said series of ears to maintain the ears in ail-upright position, means whereby said ear abutment arm may move with the pusher arm a predetermined vdistance, means for maintaining the abutment proper in rigid position on said arm,

saidv last mentioned means being releasable whereby the abutment member is moved automatically out of the path of the ears.

42. In an ear butting machine, the combination of a guideway having an open base, said guideway being adapted to receive ears in upright position with butts projecting through the opening in the guideway, a cutter underlying said opening to engage said projecting butts in the movement of ears along the guideway, a movable arm having an ear pusher to engage an ear and move the same along the guideway, a movable arm having an ear abutment to engage the foremost of said series of ears to main# tain the ears in an upright position, means whereby said ear abutment arm may move with the pusher arm a predetermined distance., means for maintaining the abutment' proper in rigid position on said arm,V

said last mentioned means being releasable whereby the abutment member is moved automatically out of the path of the ears, and means for returning the abutment arm and the; ablitmentg member proper intol position 1,3ee,5 es

to engage a subsequentseries of ears to be engaged by said pusher.

43. Inv an ear butting machine, the combination of a rotatable gear, a cutter having a pinion in mesh with said gear, a guideway concentric with the gear overlying the cutter and adapted to support ears in up.- rght position, and means mounted on the gear for moving a series of ears along the guideway into contact with the cutter.

44. In an ear butting machine, the combination of a rotatable gear, a cutter having a pinion in mesh with said gear, a guideway concentric with the gear overlying the cutter and adapted to support ears in upright position, means mounted on the gear for moving` a series of ears along the guide way into contact with the cutter, and an abutment member for the ears movable with said pusher member a predetermined distance and thereafter automatically returns to initial position, and means whereby the ear butting member is adapted to release the ears after the butting operation and prior to the return movement of thel abutment member.

45. In .an ear butting machine, the combination of a guideway for ears to be butted, said guideway comprising opposed sides outwardly flared toward the upper'edge thereof, said sides being separated from one another at the base whereby to receive the butts of ears arranged in upright position between said sides, means for adjustably supporting said sides in place whereby to adapt the guideway to ears of diierent sizes, a cutter arranged in the path of said projecting ear butts, and means for conveying the` ears along the guideway.

46. In an ear butting machine, the combination of a cutter, means for supporting and conveying ears of corn whereby the butts thereof will be severed by the cutter, and a guard member for the cutter, and means whereby said guard member is automatically movable into and out of position relative to the cutter, according to the movement of the ears.

47. In an ear butting machine, the combination of an elongated guideway for supporting a series of contacting ears in upright position, with butts of the ears projecting below the guidew'ay, cutting means arranged in the path of the ear butts, means for simultaneously moving the series of ears along the guideway into operative position relative to, and past, the cutting means, and releasable means actino in opposition to said moving means whereby to maintain the ears in position during the cuttingoperation.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aix my signature. in the presence of a witness.

FREDERICK HENRY KNAPP. l Witness:

CALVIN-5 'MinANs llO 

